U.S. Takes New Look at Africa Threats

Attacks in Kenya, Nigeria Put Washington's Trade Focus on Back Burner

By

Siobhan Gorman and

Drew Hinshaw

Updated Sept. 24, 2013 7:44 p.m. ET

The four-day siege on a Kenyan mall is prompting U.S. counterterrorism officials to review their assessment of al Qaeda's East African affiliate and what the U.S. should be doing to counter that threat, U.S. officials said on Tuesday.

Civilian massacres like the one in Kenya and another in Nigeria last week, meanwhile, are shifting the focus on the continent just as the Obama administration looks to spend more time discussing business in Africa. Taken together, the Kenyan and Nigerian appeals for U.S. assistance that...